Marines to deploy in southern Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- As many as 9,000 additional U.S. Marines shortly are expected to renew an assault on Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan, authorities said.

The extra Marines will double the size of the U.S. force in the southern province of Helmand, senior U.S. officials told The Washington Post in a story published Sunday.

The Marines are to deploy into southern Afghanistan after President Barack Obama outlines his war strategy Tuesday in a speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

"We've been leaning forward in anticipation of a decision. And we've got some pretty stiff fighting coming," Marine Gen. James Conway told fellow Marines in Afghanistan Saturday.

The Marines are to be followed by an estimated 1,000 U.S. Army trainers to help speed the progress and growth of the Afghan police and army. Obama's strategy is expected to call for 30,000 to 35,000 new U.S. troops to deploy to Afghanistan in the next 18 months.

The phased approach is driven in part because Afghanistan's lack of infrastructure cannot immediately support a larger U.S. force, the Post reported.